This past Saturday, members of Sand Spring Baptist Church organized one of the largest community service events ever seen in the county. Called Operation Inasmuch after the Bible verse Matthew 25:40, the event was comprised of 24 different charitable projects held all around the county. According to Pastor Michael Hamrick, over 200 members of the church signed up to help.

The projects included both indoor and outdoor jobs, from baking cookies for our police and emergency workers to giving away smoke detectors to residents in the Stringtown area. The 200 volunteers gathered at the church on Saturday morning and broke into small teams to tackle all the various projects.

Some of the projects included helping the elderly at both Hometown Manor and Heritage Hall. The team at Hometown Manor tilled up the garden for the residents of the assisted living home as well as weeded and mulched the flower beds. And at Heritage Hall, the team there worked on lowering raised garden beds to make it more accessible for residents in wheelchairs. Both teams also did other landscaping work like trim trees and bushes.

Open Hands Food Pantry also got a team of electrical experts. They replaced various light fixtures and plugs as well as properly marked the circuit breakers. David Montgomery, the director at the food pantry, was thankful for the help.

One of the more special projects of the day occurred at the Legion Park. A couple of teams got together after cleaning the park and painting the outbuildings to help with Anderson County Little League’s Challenger Game. The challenger games let children with disabilities enjoy playing the game with the help of volunteers, which at this past week’s game included many members of the church.

The volunteers, which included a number of children, enjoyed giving their time and effort to such great causes. “We feel like we’re serving the Lord by serving other people,” Pastor Hamrick said.